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Mobile Climbing Tower

Scouterhorn (Mobile Tower) Reservation Process

Understand the following: when you rent the tower, YOU are responsible for getting trained operators. You will only be able to use the tower when you can supply the staff. There is a 4-step process for reserving the Scouterhorn. The process must be COMPLETED AT LEAST 30 DAYS PRIOR TO YOUR EVENT:

Contact the team at Camp Snyder to tentatively reserve the tower (and transport, if needed) for the date you plan to use the tower

The process can take 30 days to research the need and get the necessary operating permits.

The Scouterhorn is stored at Camp Snyder, so the Camp Snyder team keeps the authoritative list of reservations.

The tower requires transportation.

The truck donated for transporting the tower is located at the Marriott Scout Service Center and is used for other purposes.

If you need the truck, ask the team to tentatively reserve it, too. Be sure you have a driver authorized to drive the truck, such as an NCAC employee. Be sure to include the truck on the request form.

Download the checklist for the mobile climbing tower, fill out, and return to the Camp Snyder team for review by the Climbing and COPE committees. Be sure to include NCAC.COPE@gmail.com in the CC. The requester is responsible for ensuring Camp Snyder and the Climbing/COPE committees are informed. We are volunteers like you.

Checklist was revised 2016-05-24

If unclear about an item, ask. We’re here to help you avoid making unnecessary and potentially dangerous assumptions.

If/when anything goes wrong, we cannot disappear. A ride operator can declare Chapter 11 and reappear under a new name.

Notice the permit must be received by the Maryland offices NO LESS THAN 30 DAYS PRIOR TO THE EVENT.

If there are less than 30 days to the event, the form must include justification.

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, each jurisdiction may have their own regulations (e.g., the city of Haymarket is a separate jurisdiction than Prince William county). Some jurisdictions require inspections by third parties who are authorized to set their own fees.

Some locations may require proof of liability insurance. That will require a proof of coverage letter for current coverage. Click here for an example (2019-2020 March). [Council main office is the single authoritative source for current coverage.]

Ensure you have at least one qualified climb master and at least one qualified climbing assistant.

According to National Camp Standards (430-056-National_Camp_Standards-2019), Staff Qualification and Training Standards (SQ-409), a minimum of two (2) trained people are required, at least one is an adult (at least 21 yo). The other may be a Climbing Instructor in Training (IIT) or a COPE IIT; minimum age of 16. [Note: an IIT has attended Foundations and Level 1 training for either Climbing or COPE, and has successfully passed an evaluation.]

NCAP Circular #8 now requires climb masters to have had training recommended by the manufacturer (i.e., Spectrum Sports International). At this time, Spectrum Sports is developing on-line training which may be available at no cost, but access is controlled by Spectrum Sports, Intl. If you need the training, please follow the instructions below under “Scouterhorn Training” below. The committee does not currently have authority to replace this training nor permission to offer an alternative.

Generally, you are qualified if you can calmly effect a rescue of a climber in distress when all about you are demanding immediate action. Training is not a substitute for critical thinking, leadership, or good judgement.

You have a committed reservation ONLY when you have submitted an acceptable checklist (i.e., approved by a member of the Climbing Committee or COPE committee) AND submitted the Camp Snyder reservation form.

Please understand that Council must recover recurring costs such as maintenance and inspections. The tower costs at least $2K annually in inspections and maintenance. Refer to the Camp WB Snyder facility rentals page for pricing.

Please understand a few things:

In Fall 2014, NCAC received a donation of a Spectrum Sports Int’l 24′ Drop-A-Rock mobile climbing wall/tower and a truck. The tower can help us reach out to the local communities by showing how Scouting can provide challenge and fun. If we’re not careful, the mobile tower can become an amusement ride where parents bring their children for a fun ride and nothing more. It can be much more. We need adults to maintain and operate the tower, and youth to help crowd control and support the adults.

There are no BSA National guidelines, and NCS offers NO training for operating or transporting a mobile tower. The Climbing/COPE committee has done their best to develop guidelines, but they could be better. The training may not be considered approved by a higher authority.

No one on the Climbing and COPE committees has training, experience, or competency to develop material that could be used in the defense of a volunteer in the event an incident is taken to court. We would appreciate someone volunteering to fill that void. We continue to hope the BSA insurance underwriter will review the documentation, but … caveat emptor.

Virginia and Maryland consider the mobile climbing tower as an amusement ride and those regulations apply. Regulations related to “attractive nuisances” (e.g., swimming pools, trampolines) may also apply. We are doing what we can to track the evolution of the regulations.

The Committees are available to provide advice and training in order for units to provide the manpower.

Scouterhorn Training

Initial training is good for one year and requires proof of completion of 3 training sessions:

Manufacturer’s training (on-line course at Insurity Learning, managed by Spectrum Sports (Zach Champlin); course is currently free to BSA (use “NCACBSA” or “Camp Snyder BSA” for company name), send email to ncac.cope@gmail.com for the coupon code) [the training site vendor, Insurity, requires Spectrum Sports to approve the request, so please give time for the approval process to work];

Hands-on; can be accomplished in a single 3 hour (max) session when candidates are experienced in climbing or high COPE. We will try to post registration for training sessions on the NCAC calendar. Filter on District (National Capital Area Council), Categories (Training). There typically is a nominal fee for this training.

Please ensure the training for your climb master(s) and assistant(s) is current.

Once you’ve completed initial training, you will only need an annual assessment. BSA may change the definition of “qualified” so it is important to stay current.

You can request a roster of trained individuals by sending a request to ncac.cope@gmail.com. Since the roster contains personal information, it will not be shared on this website. We trust you will not publish this list.

The status is color coded. Red indicates assessment is overdue. Yellow indicates 180 days remain. Green indicates over 180 days remain until assessment is due.